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Velos Ennoia (Arrow Sense)

The Elysian art of Velos Ennoia, roughly translating to “Arrow Sense,” was developed by the ancient Elysians as a ranged martial art, focusing on the innate psychic potential of Elysians as well as heavy utilization of their wings, using thrown weapons as their key weapon. With the evolution of warfare, so has Velos Ennoia evolved, adapting techniques to use guns instead of thrown weapons and some bows. In modern eras, Velos Ennoia is still practiced, albeit by very few and as a closely guarded secret. Its techniques are not written down, as practitioners claim it would destroy the sacred nature of the art, although there are a few scripts locked behind heavy vaults.

About

“The making of the arts of war were originally a means to fight. Fighting is a means to war. And as war evolves, so does fighting. And as fighting evolves, so do the arts of war.”-Anonymous master

Velos Ennoia can trace its origin to the first Elysian that spread their wings and took to aerial combat against both predators and prey to improve hunting efficiency. Once Elysians learned how to war, so did Velos Ennoia's techniques truly take off as a method for the primitive dogfighters to engage in combat with others. Over time, Velos Ennoia was developed to encompass the growing technologies of guns, as well as function in the tighter corridors of buildings. And with the entry of Elysia into the stars and subsequently discovering other races, Velos Ennoia developed to counter those new species too.

However, Velos Ennoia has always remained as a vague martial art, practiced behind closed doors. Velos Ennoia does not have set techniques, although there are a few constants between masters, normally able to be summed up into two styles: Roi and Floga.

Velos Ennoia also prides creativity and adaptability, speeding up the subconscious decision making, and thinking and planning moves before truly engaging in combat. Two masters, during a sparring match, can at times stand each other down for over five minutes, weapons at ready, circling each other until one has decided that the other has a weakness they can exploit and have formulated a plan to win the duel.

Techniques

“Velos Ennoia, like life, is a personal journey. I cannot teach you what it means or what it holds for you. You must find it for yourself.”-Anonymous master

There are two main forms, Roi and Floga, adapting to what the practitioner desires out of them, as well as set techniques in each form. All practitioners learn both forms of Velos Ennoia and fluidly shift between the two in any given fight to keep the opponent guessing what they are doing.

Velos Ennoia also has a common ground, in that both forms train strong telepathy in their students. Practitioners utilize these abilities in telepathy to sense the minds of other creatures, allowing them to effectively see other creatures through walls through empathic sensations or through the presence of a thinking mind.

Roi

“In our language, 'Roi' means 'flow.' The other races of this world may be able to fly, but they will never be able to understand what it means to flow with the wind. Only we understand how the 'flow' truly works, as God has given us this gift to sense the flow of the physical, mental, and spiritual. Imagine the flow of wind you feel on your wings when you fly. That is the goal you must achieve when you fight. Never still, always moving around an obstacle. Heavy enough to be felt, yet light enough for gracefulness.”-Anonymous master

The 'Roi' style focuses more on swift movements, graceful dodges, and general defense. When a master is focusing on Roi, their movements will appear almost like a dance, allowing their honed instincts and psychic ability to “feel” for incoming bullets and enemy positions, predicting how they travel and deftly moving out of their trajectories. It is not an art about dodging the bullet, but rather avoiding where the bullet will be fired. Roi focuses on using the wings as a movement mechanism, using it to swiftly dodge and dance through predicted fire.

Roi also focuses on accurate counterattacks and deception, as the practitioner's movements weave into position to take shots using their weapon. Roi does not simply focus on shooting, it also focuses on shooting when and where it counts, emphasizing both ammo conservation and perfection with each shot. Some masters of Roi have even found ways to cause opponents to fire at each other from certain angles, although this is dangerous and not endorsed, but also not opposed.

Floga

“As 'Roi' means 'flow,' 'Floga' means 'flame.' Flame dances. It stings. It takes every opportunity it can afford and allows its presence to be known. Flame is strong. Yet flame is also quick. Think of the speed of photons generated by a flame: quicker than many devices can track, requiring enhanced visualization methods to even comprehend. Flame also allows us to fly further, giving us updrafts to let us smoothly fly. So to is the style of 'Floga' in our art; strong, quick, and smooth.”-Anonymous master

The 'Floga' style, countering the 'Roi' style, focuses on an active role. Rather than counteracting the enemy, Floga focuses more on offensive takedowns and seizing every chance a practitioner can get. This style focuses, rather on moving out of the way of the trajectory of projectiles, instead on using force to alter the trajectory. This style is a very offensive style, using the gun not only as a tool to kill but as a tool to harm so the accuracy of opponents drop, as well as a tool to shoot the opponent’s gun, causing malfunctions or at the least momentary inaccuracy. In close range the practitioner will sometimes instead opt to bat the gun away from the opponent rather than use bullets. Here the wings serve as blinds and extra limbs, as well as bullet shields.

This style also focuses on shooting the enemy before the enemy can shoot you, as well as refining gun tricks for combat usage, hoping that maybe the tricks learned will one day benefit the practitioner in a real fight. Who knows when speed loading, quick draw, or spinning a gun while firing it will come in handy?

Weapons

Ancient practitioners used bows and thrown weapons, however modern practitioners prefer the gun. The most commonly used gun type now is the Sersis Variable Pistol due to its relative ease of use and adaptability, although variant adaptations for revolvers, rifles and carbines of all sizes, and even rocket launchers and power armors exist.